Measurement of Nasal Mucosal Blood Flow by a Thermal Clearance Method

A new method for nasal mucosal blood flow measurement is described. The orifice of the nasal cavity is closed by a probe which includes a thermocouple. The temperature of the mucosa is increased, since cooling by airflow is now impossible. The temperature increase is due to blood flow. The rate of temperature increase depends both on blood flow and the heat capacity of the probe. A method to obtain mucosal blood flow from a temperature versus time curve is presented. Experimental results are compared to those obtained by other methods.